Stakeholders in Ondo State have called for stronger enforcement of child protection laws, improved social protection and greater community involvement to eliminate child labour and forced labour in the state.

The call was made by the Kids & Teens Resource Centre and the Restoration of the Dignity of Womanhood during a stakeholders and media town hall meeting themed, “Advocating for Communities Free of Child Labour and Forced Labour.”

The meeting brought together representatives of government ministries, the International Labour Organisation, security agencies, traditional institutions, labour unions, civil society organisations and the media.

Participants stressed that ending child labour required more than public awareness, urging government institutions and community leaders to translate existing policies into coordinated action at the grassroots.

The State Controller of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Mrs Olanike Mogboruko, described child labour and forced labour as serious threats that deprive children of their future and undermine national development.

She said the ministry would continue to work with relevant stakeholders to create communities where children could access education, enjoy their childhood and pursue their dreams.

The National Project Coordinator of the ILO/ACCEL Africa, Mrs Celine Oni, identified poverty as a major factor pushing rural households into child labour, particularly in cocoa and artisanal gold mining communities.

She called for a unified child labour monitoring and reporting system across Ondo State to ensure effective identification, documentation and response to cases of child exploitation.

The State Coordinator of Civil Society Organisations, Comrade Alo Martins, advocated community-based reporting committees, sustained awareness campaigns and full implementation of the National Action Plan on Child Labour.

He also called for a toll-free child labour helpline, improved coordination among relevant agencies and expanded economic support for vulnerable households.

Traditional rulers, including the Olu of Aponmu, Oba Olatunde Anthony Olasoji, and the Regent of Oke Agunla Community, Bolanle Olowokere, pledged to monitor their communities and prevent children from engaging in hazardous activities on cocoa farms and mining sites.

They urged parents and farm owners to take advantage of vocational training, health insurance and social protection programmes to improve their economic circumstances.

The Director of Guidance and Counselling in the Ondo State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Frances Ademuyiwa, announced plans to deploy an education task force to identify out-of-school children and facilitate their return to formal education.

She also introduced the proposed Adopt a Child Policy, which would encourage financially capable individuals to sponsor the education of indigent children from primary school to university.

The Ondo State Statistician-General, Mr Olusola Sunday Ajayi, called for evidence-based interventions, noting that economic pressures in agricultural communities could contribute to child labour.

The State Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, Comrade Clement Fatuase, described child labour as a violation of children’s dignity, safety and future, pledging the union’s support for advocacy and enforcement efforts.

The Programme Manager of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, Mr Feyijimi Ogunjobi, highlighted the Ilera-Loro programme, which provides free healthcare services to poor and vulnerable residents in the state.

The Gender Desk Officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ondo State Command, Mrs Caroline Ayodele, called for sustained collaboration among government agencies, security organisations, parents and communities to protect children from exploitation.

The Director of Child Development in the Ondo State Ministry of Women Affairs, Mr Mefun Tophas, disclosed that 84 children had been enrolled in the state government’s care programme, with about 58 receiving education while others were acquiring vocational skills.

The Speaker of the Ondo State Third Children Parliament, Rt. Hon. Olamide Poroye, raised concern over the prevalence of child labour, citing a figure of about 39.2 per cent of children aged between seven and 12 in the state as being involved in the practice.

She called for stronger implementation of child protection laws and supported the proposed renaming of school labour days as sanitation days to encourage school attendance.

Stakeholders agreed that sustained community awareness, effective enforcement of child protection laws, improved access to education, stronger social protection systems and economic empowerment of vulnerable households were critical to ending child labour.

They urged relevant institutions to move beyond advocacy and commitments to concrete, coordinated interventions that would protect every child in Ondo State from exploitation.